Our December
by Omega Devin
Summary: A fateful accident reunites the infamous star crossed lovers. Love has a chance to bloom once more in the cold winter...especially since Christine remembers nothing of her past. How far will Erik go to make Christine his now and forever? EC main
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** _Phantom of the Opera_ and its said characters belong to Gaston Leroux, Susan Kay, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Warner Brother Studios, and whoever else happens to have a piece of the rights. It sure as hell ain't me.

To clear up confusions early, this fic is movie/stage based, but as with my previous fic, has strong elements of Kay mixed into it. Why? Because I feel like it. I want to write something a little more wholesome than _All Forgiving._ Consider that a warm up.

Also note, this fic may or may not be finished, but if you look under my profile, you'll see a strong trend; I tend to _not_ finish what I start. But if the idea is there, then I might as well go with it while I can. I just hope I can contribute something to the Phantom community during my visit.

"_No one ever sees the Angel; but he is heard by those who are meant to hear him. He often comes when they least expect him, when they are sad and disheartened. Then their ears suddenly perceive celestial harmonies, a divine voice, which they remember all their lives. Persons who are visited by the Angel quiver with a thrill unknown to the rest of mankind. And they can not touch an instrument, or open their mouths to sing, without producing sounds that put all other human sounds to shame. Then people who do not know that the Angel has visited those persons say that they have genius."_

Gaston Leroux, page 62 (Puffins Classics edition)

Gorgeous…

**Our December**

Written by Omega Devin

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**Prologue**

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It was a cold, cold day in November when Christine Daaé aggressively decided that fairy tales were nothing but a concoction of lies, fantasies a weaving of deceit, and happy ending nothing more than false promises built upon empty dreams. It was a cold, snowy day in November that she first began to regret – when she truly, deeply began to regret – the decisions made in the catacombs of the Opera Populaire not more than eight months ago, when she left the darkness behind her, following a man who promised to lead her into the light, into a life of happiness, comfort and content.

That night, under the opera house, when she was led away from _him_, from _his_ music, _his_ voice, _his_ tears…

The night she kissed _him_ for the first and last time…

_His _confession of love to her as she handed the ring back to him…and fled…

Raoul had promised her, once they reached the streets again, wet and cold and smudged with dirt and grime, that the nightmare was over, that the dark shadows of the past were finally behind them. They had nothing to look forward to but a bright future, a glorious wedding, a happy marriage and a perfect family to call their own…

It sounded perfect.

It was the life that any woman, regardless of her social upbringing would dream of, and few ever truly had a chance to live.

It would be a perfect life…

_Then why was she so unhappy?_


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"But you just got home!"

It sounded horribly childish, but Christine was beyond the point of caring. Raoul turned to her, regret shadowing his bright blue eyes.

"Forgive me, darling, but Jean implored that it was urgent, and the signing of the bills needs to be witnessed by a judge and the lawyers of the participating parties." When Christine did not speak – she only continued to stare at him with a mixed expression of bewilderment and indignation – his expression softened. He smiled warmly at his fiancé, placing his hands on her slender shoulders. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but it will only be for a month, perhaps a little longer, depending on how the weather holds out…"

"A _month?_" Christine repeated, aghast as she pulled away from his grip. "Raoul, we are supposed to marry in _two weeks_!"

Raoul sighed as he turned away from her, his obvious frustration turning the exhale of breath into a hushed growl. "I know…I know, Christine…please, forgive me…but if those documents are not signed by the end of the month, then the whole deal will fall through. Jean has been an important partner of my family for a very long time, and I can't afford to loose his respect, or his business…" He glanced back at her, and immediately felt a pang or regret. The young Viscount knew that this was not what she wanted to hear. Christine was looking away from him, her arms crossed tightly around her middle, and was trying very hard to fight back the tears of frustration.

She was not angry at him, he knew. She was angry at all these sudden "emergencies", as they were referred to, all these "incidents" that had to be dealt with immediately in order to keep from loosing an important business partner or interest that had been heavily invested in. The de Chagny family had lost a small fortune when the Opera Populaire had burnt nearly to the ground earlier that year, and as the heir to the family fortune, it was Raoul's duty to redeem the assists lost, by his father's insistence. This, of course, had put a horrible hindrance on their engagement. It seemed that every time he and his beloved fiancé at last had a chance to hold the wedding, something else always came up. They were supposed to have been married nearly six months ago. And now, it looked as if it was to be pushed back yet again.

Unlike most of his family's business partners and friends, Raoul felt horribly guilty about always leaving Christine behind when something like this came up. Most of the men he had to deal with would leave their wives for their business affairs in a scant second, leaving them alone in their spacious manors with nothing more than the servants for company. Of course, they had their own means of entertainment – afternoon tea, luncheons, croquet in the fields – and they had always seemed content enough.

But, then again, Christine was not like those other spoiled peahens.

And, because of that, she regrettably was not the first on the list to be invited to such affairs. Ever since Raoul had announced their engagement – that had been almost a year ago, right before the New Year – his family and friends had done nothing but scoff and whisper in contempt about his fiancé. It was infuriating to Raoul, even in this life when so much was based upon social appeasement, but it was one detail he was willing to overlook.

He loved Christine. There was nothing else to it.

He would have gladly laid his life down for her.

He had already proven that once to her…

Sometimes, though, it felt as if it had not been enough.

"Christine…" Guilt laced Raoul's gentle voice, coaxing her to look back at him. "I…I know I haven't been true to my word that night when we left the opera house, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I haven't been able to make you happy…"

The hard expression in Christine's eyes considerably softened as he spoke, and she slowly closed the space between them, intertwining her fingers through his own. "Oh Raoul…please don't apologize. You're not the one at fault, here… I am. I'm sorry I've been so childish about the whole thing. I should know by now…this is what you must do. This is what you will _have_ to do once your father passes on the family estate to you. It's…just something I have to get used to, I suppose. It's just…I get so horribly lonely here when you're gone."

Guilt once against struck a painful chord in Raoul's heart. That was another issue that had particularly worried him. When he brought Christine to his aunt's manor after the opera house disaster, he had thought that the isolation would have been good for her, a chance to allow her to calm down and prepare for her new life ahead of her. It had not occurred to him, however, that this would be the first time in her life that Christine would be left alone for long periods of time, especially while he was away. She had always had someone in her life, with her at almost all times. There was hardly a time when she was separated from her father when she was a child, and when she was sent to live at the Opera House, she had the friendship of Meg, the care of Madame Giry and the company of the other ballerinas and chorus girls who lived in the dormitories.

And during the times when she was away from all that, _he_ had always been there, watching her…

…Raoul suppressed a shudder, and pushed the thought away. How he wished he could burn all memories of the Opera Ghost from him mind.

But now that she was here, Christine had been more isolated than he had anticipated, and it seemed to be doing more harm than good. Although his aunts had been kind to her since her arrival (it seemed they were the only members in his entire family who made any sort of effort to make her feel welcome), Christine had not established any firm bonds with the older women. He heard that she had attempted, and several occasions, to speak to the servants on casual terms, but they only ended up fumbling their words, politely excusing themselves and rushing out of the room to attend "unfinished work".

Christine had a lot to learn about becoming a future Viscountess.

So far, she had not handling the transition very well.

"Besides, love," he added, trying to put a cheerful note in his voice. "Who would honestly want to get married in the dead of winter, with the holidays so close? We would be so busy with all the upcoming family affairs that we would hardly have any time to ourselves. The outside would is gray and dead, the churches are dreadfully cold, and traveling anywhere would be a dreadful. How about we schedule the wedding for the first day of spring, when the whole world is coming back to life? Remember when we were children, how you used to love the color of the new spring leaves and the first of the blooming flowers?"

A small, nostalgic smile crept over Christine's rosebud lips. "Yes…"

Raoul could not help but to grin widely, pleased to see her smile again, no matter how small it might have been. Once again, he placed his gentle hands on her shoulders, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "It's settled then. We'll be married the first day of spring, come hell or high water. And I promise you, Christine, that once I return after this deal is finalized, I won't leave your side until at least the holidays are over."

Christine placed her small hands over his own, squeezing his fingers lightly. "I would like that." She said quietly. He could tell that she was still disappointed that he had to leave…but now she was not quiet as upset. And that was enough to sooth his own anxieties…at least for the time being.

_She chose to go with you…she wanted to be with you…_HE _sent her away to be with you…_

_Then what's there to be worried about? All beginning marriages have their catches, even if we're not married yet. She's still getting adjusted…she's still getting over her terrors from her last few months in the Opera Populaire, when she was under _his_ control._

"Once we're married," Raoul began, his thoughts merging into his words. "once we have a home and a family to call our own, everything will just fall into place. I'd give the world, Christine, if I could, even if it were just to see you smile."

Christine raised herself on her toes, pressing a chaste kiss to Raoul's lips. "I know you would."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Feeling considerably better than he had ten minutes ago, Raoul stepped back, offering Christine his arm. "Join me for dinner, my dear? I leave tomorrow at the first light. We might as well make the most of the evening while we can."

Christine giggled, looping her arm around his elbow. "I would be delighted."

Together, future husband and wife walked to the dining room, arm-in-arm, just as it should have been.

**Author's Note:** I can hear it all now.

All the Raoul/Christine fans are saying "Awwww…."

All the Erik/Christine fans are saying "YUUUCK, get on with it!"

As in my previous fic, this is not an evil Raoul story. Just ignorant, as usual. If you think about it, the poor gets short-changed, a _lot_, by at least half of the Phantom fandom. I can't help but feel sorry for him. Even though I am an EC purist, I tried to make their relationship believable in this chapter, but they still came off as feeling a little stiff. I hope I didn't butcher them too badly. You have to admit, Emma and Patrick do look cute on screen together.

But Gerry and Emma just look so much better. Have faith, EC worshippers. There will be much of the fluff later on.

On another note (you can stop reading if you want, I know it's long)…wow, 10 reviews for less than half a page of writing! You guys rock! That was seriously written at like, 1 in the morning last on a whim.

For those of you reading _All Forgiving_, don't worry, I have not abandoned it. It's just an extremely heavy fluff chapter, and if there are two things I struggle with writing, it's fight scene, and fluff. It's not hard, per sae…I just want to make sure it's absolutely right. I'm still working on it. It's just going a little slowly. Sorry P

'till next time


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